When people ask what I do for a living and I say I’m a freelance writer and work from home, the most common response I hear is, “Wow! You are so lucky!” And you know what? I do feel lucky.

The upside is invaluable -- you get to spend more time with your children. But there’s a downside too. In many ways, working from home can be more challenging than just staying at home or working in an office. Most domestic and parenting obligations fall to the person who is home more by default, making even the most seasoned professional feel like a wishbone -- pulled in two opposite directions to the breaking point.

If you’ve decided to work at home, here are a few tips that my fellow WAHP (work at home parent) brethren and I have found useful.

Set a firm work schedule

Some folks think working at home is casually perusing e-mail while catching up on Oprah. Treat your work time as if you were in an office. Resist domestic activities (even if the dishes are piling up), and nix personal calls for maximum productivity during your limited time frame.

Create a productive kid-free environment

A New York City resident, I work out of a computer closet in my living room with all my files, discs and folders. When my son decides to take over the living room, I’ve been known to defect to the nearest wi-fi empowered coffee house.  See if you can assign yourself a quiet Lego-free room or corner to work in that’s all yours.

Let your sitter do their job

Seeing as you are the one at home, you are supervising your child’s daily routine, even if you are working. Once your childcare situation is ironed out, be it through a sitter, another family member or daycare, try and remove yourself (or send them out) while you are working. It’s important to trust your caregiver enough to be able to focus on your work  -- and let them focus on theirs  -- during your working hours.

Build in transition time

My husband has a half hour subway ride to veg out and read the paper, while I get a whopping 30-seconds to switch from work mode to mommy mode. Instead of wallowing in my jealousy, I allow myself some transition time, even if it’s five minutes reading e-mail or surfing online, before I pick up my son.

Creative work solutions

Every parent who works at home has had to juggle both responsibilities simultaneously at a given point and time. Don’t feel guilty! Part and parcel of the work-at-home experience is mastering the art of multitasking. For example, I work through my son’s nap and occasionally scan through e-mail when he is engaged in solo imaginative play.

Working from home has many benefits and pitfalls. Just remember to pat yourself on the back for getting down to business, and belonging entirely to your children, whenever you can.